Russ Cook plans to run the 3,000km Te Araroa Trail across the length of New Zealand
A man who ran the entire length of Africa has begun his latest challenge – running the full length of New Zealand.
Russ Cook, nicknamed Hardest Geezer, completed his previous endurance challenge in April last year after 352 days.
The 27-year-old, from Worthing, West Sussex, plans to run the 1,864 mile (3,000km) Te Araroa Trail, which will see him take on 60 ultramarathons while navigating mountains, forests, coastlines and cities.
“The incredible, warm welcome I’ve received so far has already given me a glimpse of how special the journey ahead of me will be,” he said.
He has begun the challenge at Stirling Point in Bluff – the southern tip of New Zealand’s South Island – and will run northbound for about 60 days to the finish line in Cape Rēinga, in Northland.
Mr Cook said he expected to climb the equivalent of approximately 10 Mount Everests in elevation over approximately the next 10 weeks.
During the challenge, he is also due to bungee jump off Auckland Harbour Bridge, canyon swing in Queenstown and sky dive in Abel Tasman.
Russ Cook
Russ Cook has begun the challenge at Stirling Point in Bluff – the southern tip of New Zealand’s South Island
He said he was excited to be “back on the road again” in his first major expedition since running the length of Africa.
“If anything, from my experiences before in Africa, it has made me more finely attuned to the risks that I can take and the risks that I can’t take,” he said.
“A lot of personal growth is done in those little uncomfortable spots.
“You’re not totally 100% sure, but you go for it anyway, and you make it happen, and that’s when you learn.”
PA Media
Russ Cook, nicknamed “Hardest Geezer”, previously ran the entire length of Africa
Mr Cook raised more than £1m for charity during his previous challenge in Africa, despite complications with visas, health scares, geopolitical issues and an armed robbery.
The extreme challenge began at South Africa’s most southerly point on 22 April 2023, and finished more than 10,190 miles (16,400km) north in Tunisia.
The ultramarathon runner said he planned to continue living adventurously for as long as his body allowed.
“When I’m older, when the body’s keeled over a bit, I expect I’ll pick up where I left off,” he said.
The US Department of Education is planning to cut about half of its workforce, as the Trump Administration works to slash the size of the federal government.
The mass layoffs will impact nearly 2,100 people who are set to be placed on leave from 21 March.
Trump has long sought to eliminate the department, a long-cherished goal of some conservatives, but such an action would require approval by Congress.
The department, which has an annual budget of around $238bn (£188bn), employs more than 4,000 people.
Established in 1979, the department oversees funding for public schools, administers student loans and runs programmes that help low-income students.
A common misconception is that it operates US schools and sets curricula – that is done by states and local districts.
And a relatively small percentage of funding for primary and secondary schools – about 13% – comes from federal funds. The majority is made up from states and local groups.
The agency also plays a prominent role in administering and overseeing the federal student loans used by millions of Americans to pay for higher education.
“As part of the Department of Education’s final mission, the department today initiated a reduction in force impacting nearly 50% of the department’s workforce,” a statement from Education Secretary Linda McMahon said on Tuesday.
She said the cuts would impact all divisions in the department and were made to “better serve students, parents, educators, and taxpayers”.
The agency had 4,133 employees when Trump was sworn into office, an announcement from the department states. It has the smallest staff of all the 15 US cabinet-level agencies.
After the cuts, 2,183 people would remain, which included several hundred who retired or accepted a buyout programme earlier this year, the accountment said.
The notice to employees said that all of those who are laid off would continue to receive their normal pay and benefits until 9 June, as well as a severance package or retirement pay based on how long they’d worked at the department.
“The Department of Education will continue to deliver on all statutory programs that fall under the agency’s purview, including formula funding, student loans, Pell Grants, funding for special needs students, and competitive grantmaking,” the email states.
Reports have suggested that Trump, for weeks, has considered signing an executive order impacting the Department of Education, though he has not yet done so.
Several of his executive orders have been met with lawsuits, as have Trump’s dramatic cuts at agencies around Washington.
Several lawsuits have also challenged actions by the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), a team aiming to slash government spending that’s being led by Elon Musk. The agency has installed deputies at various agencies, slashed staff and accessed data across the government.
For decades, Republicans have floated the idea of axing the Education Department. When Ronald Reagan ran for president in 1980, he pushed for its dismantling.
It hasn’t been done because it would take an act of Congress to accomplish, which in the current makeup would mean Trump would need Democratic support.
Many conservatives have pointed to decentralising education and giving states and local governments more power. More recently, though, Trump and other conservatives have attacked the department for its so-called “woke” agenda, which includes protections on gender and race.
Trump has claimed the agency was “indoctrinating young people with inappropriate racial, sexual, and political material”.
The American Federation of Teachers, the nation’s most powerful education union, condemned the cuts to the department in a statement.
“The massive reduction in force at the Education Department is an attack on opportunity that will gut the agency and its ability to support students, throwing federal education programs into chaos across the country,” the union’s president Randi Weingarten said.
She called for Congress and the courts to intervene.
Don’t call it a breakthrough, as there is still a long way to go before lasting peace.
But Tuesday’s agreement between the US and Ukraine over a proposed temporary ceasefire in the war with Russia represents a remarkable change of course.
Just a week ago, the US suspended military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine in the aftermath of the bitter meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump at the White House.
That US and Ukrainian diplomats were able to improve relations and chart a path forward serves as another illustration of how Trump, despite his apparent bluster and willingness to hurl insults, always appears open to further negotiations.
For him, in fact, the swagger and browbeating are often an integral part of the negotiating process.
But a strategy that involves a whirlwind of public threats and concessions is not without risks, as has been painfully apparent to the more than 60% of Americans with investments in the US stock market in recent weeks.
Major stock indexes continued to tumble on Tuesday after Trump escalated his war of words – and tariffs – with America’s northern neighbour and largest trading partner, Canada.
In a caustic post on his Truth Social account, Trump said he would double impending tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminium in response to a planned Canadian surcharge on electricity bound for northern US states.
He said – again – that Canada becoming a US state is the “only thing that makes sense”.
The aggressive style produced results within hours – the premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, backed down from the energy surcharge for now, and then Trump said he would no longer double the 25% tariffs coming into force on Wednesday.
But the ongoing trade dispute has erased trillions of dollars in US stock market wealth. And there is still the prospect of more tariffs – on Canada and other US trading partners – next month.
Meanwhile, despite Ukraine’s acceptance of a time-limited truce if Russia plays its part, there is still no sign of the mineral rights deal which would give the US a share of future Ukrainian mining revenues.
Trump has made clear how much he wants this, and it could be a stumbling block down the road.
There is also no indication of whether Russia will accept the 30-day ceasefire proposal. It is also unclear what the Trump team is willing to do to convince Vladimir Putin to say yes.
Will the same playbook work? Or will Trump have to find another tool in his negotiating kit?
There is, however, clear progress towards Trump’s promise, repeated throughout much of last year’s presidential campaign, that he is the one who can end the war after three years.
He has chosen to perform a high-wire act where success could bring peace and prosperity. The price of failure, however, will be measured in lives lost.
More than 12 million customers of Nationwide will each receive a payment of £50 following the takeover of Virgin Money.
The Nationwide, the UK’s largest building society, described the money as a “thank you” to its members, at a cost of £600m.
However, there was criticism that the same members were not given a vote on the £2.8bn acquisition of Virgin Money last year.
Most customers will receive the £50 directly into their accounts by the end of April, although some will be paid by cheque.
Nationwide is writing to members receiving the payment from now to let them know how and when they will get the money.
The payments will go to more 12 million customers who:
Had a savings or current account, or mortgage, at the end of last September
Additionally, have made at least one transaction on their current account or savings, or had a balance of at least £100 in their current account, savings or mortgage in the 12 months to the end of September last year
Still have their accounts or mortgage at the time the payment is made
Those criteria mean about four million customers will not receive the payment.
The customers of Virgin Money – which was the name for the Clydesdale and Yorkshire bank group – will not be eligible for the money either.
Debbie Crosbie, Nationwide chief executive, said the payment “recognises the role our members played in building the financial strength that made the deal possible”.
Following last year’s deal – the biggest banking takeover since the financial crisis – Nationwide became the UK’s second largest provider of mortgages and savings accounts.
However, there was some controversy over the fact that, while Virgin Money members were given a vote on the deal, Nationwide members were not. Nationwide’s board decided no member approval was required.
The £50 payment is separate to Nationwide’s so-called fairer share payments scheme, which periodically returns some of its profits to members.
Paul Danan found fame on Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks and reality TV shows
Hollyoaks actor and reality TV star Paul Danan died at his Bristol home from a cocktail of drugs including cocaine and heroin, an inquest opening has been told.
The inquest was opened and adjourned on Tuesday at Avon Coroner’s Court, with senior coroner Maria Voisin setting a provisional date of 28 May for the actor’s full inquest hearing.
Danan, who played Sol Patrick in Hollyoaks, was also known for his appearances on the likes of Celebrity Love Island and Celebrity Big Brother.
Coroner’s officer Alexis Camp told the hearing that Danan was pronounced dead at his home in Brislington, Bristol, at 5.20pm on 15 January.
His body was identified at the scene by his partner, Melissa Crooks.
Ms Camp said: “The circumstances are that Mr Danan was found unresponsive at his home address.
“Emergency services attended and confirmed he had sadly died. A post-mortem has taken place and samples have been removed for further analysis.”
The court was told that the provisional cause of Danan’s death is combined toxicity of heroin, methadone, coedine, pregabalin, cocaine, zopiclone, contributed to by benzodiazepine use.
Ms Camp said: “I understand there are no family concerns,” adding that “no note was left” by the star.
Statements will be taken from Danan’s GP, family, police, the ambulance service and inquiries are ongoing with Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP), she said.
‘Unwavering kindness’
Danan had been due to appear for a plea hearing at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on 16 January after being charged with being in possession of cocaine and cannabis, according to court documents.
He was also accused of driving whilst under the influence of drugs on 2 October last year, in Warrington, Cheshire.
Danan had openly discussed previous issues with drugs, including addictions to cocaine and codeine, which he said he used to “self-soothe” after losing acting parts in his 20s while in the US.
He also said that he had spent more than £1m on rehab over the years.
In 2020, Danan launched drama classes in Bristol, his adopted home, for adults with mental health or addiction issues, or who have been through trauma or been in prison.
Speaking at the time of his death, the actor’s management company said he was “known for his television presence, exceptional talent and unwavering kindness”, and had been “a beacon of light to so many”.
Watch: Rodrigo Duterte questions ICC warrant for his arrest
Philippine police have arrested former President Rodrigo Duterte after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity over his deadly “war on drugs”.
The 79-year-old was taken into police custody shortly after his arrival at Manila airport from Hong Kong.
He has offered no apologies for his brutal anti-drugs crackdown, which saw thousands of people killed when he was president of the South East Asian nation from 2016 to 2022, and mayor of Davao city before that.
Upon his arrest, he questioned the basis for the warrant, asking: “What crime [have] I committed?”
Duterte’s former presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo criticised the arrest, calling it “unlawful” as the Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019.
The ICC earlier said that it has jurisdiction in the Philippines over alleged crimes committed before the country withdrew as a member.
But activists called the arrest a “historic moment” for those who perished in his drug war and their families, the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) said.
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but today, it has bent towards justice. Duterte’s arrest is the beginning of accountability for the mass killings that defined his brutal rule,” said ICHRP chairman Peter Murphy.
Duterte had been in Hong Kong to campaign for the upcoming 12 May mid-term elections, where he had planned to run again for mayor of Davao.
Footage aired on local television showed him walking out of the airport using a cane. Authorities say he is in “good health” and is being cared for by government doctors.
“What is my sin? I did everything in my time for peace and a peaceful life for the Filipino people,” he told a cheering crowd of Filipino expatriates before leaving Hong Kong.
A video posted by his daughter, Veronica Duterte, showed Duterte in custody in a lounge at Manila’s Villamor Air Base. In it, he can be heard questioning the reason for his arrest.
“What is the law and what is the crime that I committed? I was brought here not of my own volition, it is somebody else’s. You have to answer now for the deprivation of liberty.”
Getty Images
Duterte was arrested by police in Manila airport shortly after his arrival from Hong Kong
Duterte’s arrest marks the “beginning of a new chapter in Philippine history”, said Filipino political scientist Richard Heydarian.
“This is about rule of law and human rights,” he said.
Heydarian added that authorities had arrested Duterte promptly at the airport instead of letting the matter take its course through the local courts to “avoid political chaos”.
“Duterte’s supporters were hoping they could go berserk in terms of public rallies and [use] all sorts of delaying tactics… [to] drag things on until the warrant of arrest loses momentum,” he said.
The demand for justice in Duterte’s drug war goes “hand in hand” with the political interests of his successor, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Heydarian said.
The Duterte and Marcos families formed a formidable alliance in the last elections in 2022, where against the elder Duterte’s wishes, his daughter Sara ran as Marcos Jr’s vice-president instead of seeking her father’s post.
The relationship unravelled publicly in recent months as the two families pursued separate political agendas.
Marcos initially refused to co-operate with the ICC investigation, but as his relationship with the Duterte family deteriorated, he changed his stance, and later indicated that the Philippines would co-operate.
It is not clear yet whether Marcos would go as far as extraditing the former president to stand trial in The Hague.
The ‘war on drugs’
Duterte served as mayor of Davao, a sprawling southern metropolis, for 22 years and has made it one of the country’s safest from street crimes.
He used the city’s peace-and-order reputation to cast himself as a tough-talking anti-establishment politician to win the 2016 elections by a landslide.
With fiery rhetoric, he rallied security forces to shoot drug suspects dead. More than 6,000 suspects were gunned down by police or unknown assailants during the campaign, but rights groups say the number could be higher.
A previous UN report found that most victims were young, poor urban males and that police, who do not need search or arrest warrants to conduct house raids, systematically forced suspects to make self-incriminating statements or risk facing lethal force.
Critics said the campaign targeted street-level pushers and failed to catch big-time drug lords. Many families also claimed that the victims – their sons, brothers or husbands – were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Investigations in parliament pointed to a shadowy “death squad” of bounty hunters targeting drug suspects. Duterte has denied the allegations of abuse.
“Do not question my policies because I offer no apologies, no excuses. I did what I had to do, and whether or not you believe it… I did it for my country,” Duterte told a parliament investigation in October.
“I hate drugs, make no mistake about it.”
The ICC first took note of the alleged abuses in 2016 and started its investigation in 2021. It covered cases from November 2011, when Duterte was mayor of Davao, to March 2019, before the Philippines withdrew from the ICC.
Since taking power, Marcos has scaled back Duterte’s anti-narcotics campaign and promised a less violent approach to the drug problem, but hundreds of drug-related killings have been recorded during his administration.
‘Donald Trump of the East’
Duterte remains widely popular in the Philippines as he is the country’s first leader from Mindanao, a region south of Manila, where many feel marginalised by the leaders in the capital.
He often speaks in Cebuano, the regional language, not Tagalog, which is more widely-spoken in Manila and northern regions.
When he stepped down in 2022, nearly nine in 10 Filipinos said they were satisfied with his performance as president – a score unseen among his predecessors since the restoration of democracy in 1986, according to the Social Weather Stations research institute.
His populist rhetoric and blunt statements earned him the moniker “Donald Trump of the East”. He has called Russian President Vladimir Putin his “idol” and under his administration, the Philippines’ pivoted their foreign policy to China away from the US, its long-standing ally.
Marcos restored Manila’s ties with Washington and criticised the Duterte government for being “Chinese lackeys” as the Philippines is locked in sea dispute with China.
China’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that it was “closely monitoring the development of the situation” and warned the ICC against “politicisation” and “double standards” in the arrest of Duterte.
Duterte’sdaughter and political heir, Sara Duterte, is tipped as a potential presidential candidate in 2028. The incumbent, Marcos, is barred by the constitution from seeking re-election.
Additional reporting by Virma Simonette in Manila and Kelly Ng in Singapore
Manchester United, currently £1bn in debt, are yet to say how they plan to pay for the stadium. Club chief executive Omar Berrada said he was confident it was “a very attractive investment opportunity” and he was “quite confident we’ll find a way to finance the stadium”.
It will form part of a wider regeneration of the Old Trafford area, predicted to be the biggest such project in the United Kingdom since the transformation of the Stratford area that accompanied the 2012 Olympics in London. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has already given government backing to the plans.
United say the entire project has the potential to create 92,000 new jobs, will involve the construction of 17,000 homes and bring an additional 1.8 million visitors to the area annually. They add the project will be worth an additional £7.3bn per year to the UK economy.
“Today marks the start of an incredibly exciting journey to the delivery of what will be the world’s greatest stadium,” said Ratcliffe.
“Our current stadium has served us brilliantly for the past 115 years but it has fallen behind the arenas in world sport.
“I think we may well finish up with the most iconic football stadium in the world.”
He said there was no date in place for when building work on the stadium would begin, adding: “It depends how quickly the Government gets going with the regeneration programme. I think they want to get going quite quickly.”
The stadium will be built using pre-fabrication, shipped in 160 components along the neighbouring Manchester Ship Canal.
Sir Keir Starmer has called the current benefits system unsustainable, indefensible and unfair, and said the government could not “shrug its shoulders and look away”.
Addressing Labour MPs on Monday evening, the prime minister said the current welfare system was “the worst of all worlds”, discouraging people from working while producing a “spiralling bill”.
The comments come as Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall prepares to set out changes to the welfare system and cut the benefits bill in the coming weeks.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has earmarked several billion pounds in draft spending cuts to welfare and other government departments ahead of the Spring Statement.
There is unease over the plans within the party, with Labour MP Rachael Maskell warning against “draconian cuts” that risk “pushing disabled people into poverty”.
Maskell told the BBC she had picked up “deep, deep concern” among Labour MPs.
She said: “I look in the past at what Labour has achieved in this space and believe that we can hold on to our values, ensure that we’re helping people and not harming people.”
Another Labour MP, Neil Duncan-Jordan, also expressed concern, telling Newsnight: “If we are going to make poor people poorer then there will be a number of MPs who won’t be able to sign up to that.
“It feels like it could be a re-run of austerity and I’m worried about that.”
However, other sections of the Parliamentary Labour Party are calling for change.
The Get Britain Working group of 36 Labour MPs has said the government has a “moral duty” to help long-term sick and disabled people to work if they can.
In a letter to Kendall, the MPs said the country faced “hard choices” to overcome a “crisis of economic inactivity”.
Speaking at a meeting of Labour MPs on Monday night, Sir Keir said: “We’ve found ourselves in a worst of all worlds situation – with the wrong incentives – discouraging people from working, the taxpayer funding a spiralling bill.
“A wasted generation, one-in-eight young people not in education, employment or training, and the people who really need that safety net still not always getting the dignity they deserve.
“That’s unsustainable, it’s indefensible and it is unfair, people feel that in their bones.”
“So, this needs to be our offer to people up and down the country: If you can work, we will make work pay – if you need help, that safety net will be there for you.
“But this is the Labour Party – we believe in the dignity of work and we believe in the dignity of every worker.”
A number of MPs leaving the meeting said they had been satisfied with the prime minister’s words.
One said they accepted that welfare reform had to happen and were reassured that he had said it had to be done with Labour values and through the dignity of work.
However, another said constituents were frightened and needed to know that support would be there.
They said there had been little recognition that reducing benefits like the Personal Independence Payment, which helps people keep their independence, had the potential to push up costs.
In a letter to Reeves, a dozen charities have argued there is “little evidence to suggest cutting benefits increases employment outcomes”.
The charities – including Disability Rights UK, Citizens Advice, Scope and Sense – urged her to “think again about cuts to disability benefits”.
They said: “There are disabled people out of work who want to work given the right support. And for some disabled people, work isn’t appropriate.
“Changes to welfare must start here. Not with cuts.”
But ministers are worried about the surge in the number of people claiming benefits since the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost to the taxpayer.
As of January, 9.3 million people aged 16 to 64 in the UK were economically inactive – a rise of 713,000 since the pandemic.
The Department of Work and Pensions says some 2.8 million people are economically inactive because of long-term sickness.
Last year, the government spent £65bn on sickness benefits and that figure is forecast to increase by tens of billions before the next general election.
Some of the reforms to the welfare system have already been announced and include plans to use 1,000 work coaches to help the long-term unemployed into work.
In its letter, the Get Britain Working group said the cost of worklessness among the long-term sick and disabled “goes far beyond economic necessity”.
“It is a moral duty,” the letter said.
The letter said the group – most of whom were elected for the first time at last July’s general election – was formed to “press for fundamental change to our welfare system to support work”.
“We believe reforming our broken system is not only necessary, but also a truly progressive endeavour,” the letter said.
Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said too many people were being signed off sick.
He said the benefits system needed to be made tougher and suggested it was too easy for people to get welfare payments.
“I think it’s gone far too far and it is costing us billions and billions of pounds a year,” he said.
Mark Carney tells party he won’t let Donald Trump “succeed” in trade war
Mark Carney has won the race to succeed Justin Trudeau as Canada’s next prime minister, vowing to win the trade war against US President Donald Trump as he takes charge of the country at a time of deep instability.
The former governor of the Canadian and UK central banks beat three rivals in the Liberal Party’s leadership contest in a landslide.
In much of his victory speech, Carney, 59, attacked Trump, who has imposed tariffs on Canada and said he wants to make the country the 51st US state. “Americans should make no mistake,” he said. “In trade, as in hockey, Canada will win.”
Carney is expected to be sworn in as PM in the coming days and will lead the Liberals in the next general election, which is expected to be called in the coming weeks.
Watch: Canada will ‘fight when we must’, says Trudeau in farewell speech
Carney, now prime minister-designate, has never served in elected office.
The Liberal leadership race began in January after Trudeau resigned following nearly a decade in office. He had faced internal pressure to quit over deep unpopularity with voters, who were frustrated with a housing crisis and the rising cost of living.
Carney won on the first ballot on Sunday evening, taking 85.9% of the vote to beat his nearest rival, former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Loud cheers erupted as the results were announced to a crowd of some 1,600 party faithful in Ottawa, Canada’s capital.
The party said more than 150,000 people had cast ballots in the race.
Carney, who will lead a minority government in parliament, could either call a snap general election himself or opposition parties could force one with a no-confidence vote later this month.
The governing Liberals have seen a remarkable political turnaround since Trudeau’s exit, as Canadians have been galvanised by Donald Trump’s trade threats and support for annexing their country
At the beginning of the year, they trailed the Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre, by more than 20 points in election polls.
They have since narrowed the gap and some polls show them statistically tied with Poilievre’s party.
Reuters
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre must now pivot to tackle Mark Carney
Much of Carney’s speech focused on what he called Trump’s “unjustified tariffs” on Canada, America’s largest trading partner.
The US imposed levies of 25% on Canadian goods last Tuesday, but rowed back within days to exempt goods compliant with an existing trade agreement.
Canada responded with retaliatory tariffs of its own as Trudeau accused his US counterpart of trying to collapse the country’s economy.
Carney echoed that in his victory speech, saying Trump was “attacking Canadian workers, families, and businesses”.
“We can’t let him succeed,” he added, as the crowd booed loudly.
He said his government would keep tariffs on US imports “until the Americans show us respect”.
Canada’s economy depends significantly on trade with the US and risks tipping into recession if the sweeping tariffs threatened by Trump are fully imposed.
“I know these are dark days,” Carney said. “Dark days brought on by a country we can no longer trust.
“We’re getting over the shock, but let us never forget the lessons: we have to look after ourselves and we have to look out for each other. We need to pull together in the tough days ahead.”
Watch: Key moments on Mark Carney’s journey from banker to Canada’s PM
Carney also pledged to “secure our borders” – a key demand of Trump who has accused Canada of failing to control the flow of migrants and fentanyl going south.
The US president even got a mention in Carney’s attacks on his main opponent, Conservative leader Poilievre.
“Pierre Poilievre’s plan will leave us divided and ready to be conquered,” said Carney.
“Because a person who worships at the altar of Donald Trump will kneel before him, not stand up to him.”
Shortly before Carney took to the stage, Trudeau gave an emotional farewell speech, reflecting on his 12 years as Liberal leader.
He warned that Canada was facing an “existential challenge” from the US under Trump.
The Conservatives have had to pivot politically since Trudeau’s resignation, and are attacking Carney as not representing change but rather being “just like Justin”.
They accuse the Liberals of a “sneaky” plan to win a fourth term by simply substituting their leader.
Poilievre’s party has also accused Carney of lying about his role in moving investment firm Brookfield Asset Management’s head office from Toronto to New York.
Carney said the formal decision by shareholders to relocate the firm was made after he quit the board at the start of this year but a letter emerged showing he had recommended the move in December.
Watch: ‘It’s frustrating’ – How Trump’s tariffs are being received in Canada
Federal Public Safety Minister David McGuinty, who endorsed Carney, told the BBC that he “embodies the kind of quiet determination, but steely determination and competence to deal with some of these big issues”.
“I’m really, really excited for what’s coming. And frankly, it’s time for an election.”
The Liberals will face Poilievre’s Conservatives, who are the official opposition with 120 seats in the House of Commons; the Bloc Quebecois, who have 33 seats; and the New Democrats, who have 24, when Canadians next go to the polls.
What are Carney’s key policies?
The former central banker has run on a broadly centrist agenda, a shift from Trudeau, who moved the Liberals to the left.
A major promise is to push forward major energy projects like pipelines, which have faced political roadblocks in recent years.
He has promised major investments in housing and clean energy projects, and to liberalise trade within Canada, where barriers remain between provinces, as well as diversifying the economy away from the US.
During the leadership race, Carney promised to cap the size of the federal government, which expanded 40% under Trudeau.
Rupert Lowe has been accused of making threats of violence against Reform UK’s chairman – which he denies
A senior lawyer appointed by Reform UK to independently investigate allegations against MP Rupert Lowe and his team has denied making comments he has attributed to her.
The Great Yarmouth MP was suspended by Reform and referred to the police over accusations he made threats of violence against its chairman.
The Metropolitan Police has confirmed they are assessing an allegation of “verbal threats.”
There have also been allegations of bullying in Lowe’s offices, which are being investigated by the lawyer hired by the party.
Lowe strongly denies all the claims, saying “there is no credible evidence against me” and says he is the victim of “a political assassination because I dared to question Nigel Farage”.
Reform removed the whip from Lowe, meaning he now sits as an independent MP.
His suspension came after the Daily Mail published an interview with Lowe where he said Reform under Nigel Farage’s leadership remained a “protest party led by the Messiah”.
The lawyer, a KC or King’s Counsel, who has not been named by the party but whose credentials have been verified by the BBC, said: “I have seen a number of statements made by Mr Lowe MP which are attributed to me and which describe my reactions to the process conducted by the party into the allegations made against both Mr Lowe MP and his constituency manager.
“I find myself in the unfortunate and regrettable position of having to make this statement to correct the record.”
The lawyer added: “I have not expressed either ‘dismay’ or ‘shock’ at any time as to the process. Nor have I said ‘there is zero credible evidence against [Mr Lowe]’, let alone said this ‘repeatedly’.”
On Friday, Lowe took issue with a statement issued by Reform which set out that there would be an independent investigation into what had happened.
‘No credible evidence against me’
He wrote: “I have just spoken to the KC. She is dismayed that this statement has been made, and reiterated that no evidence against me has been sent to her.
“She stated that this has been issued before the investigation has even started.
“She is shocked at the process, shocked at the communication from the party, and shocked that no credible evidence has been given, despite her repeated requests.”
The BBC put the lawyer’s statement to Lowe, who issued his own statement in reply.
“Ever since this malicious attack on my reputation was launched, all I have asked for from both Reform and the KC is credible evidence against me. None has been provided. It still hasn’t,” he said.
“The KC has said she has been ‘chasing’ for that. I have received nothing. Because there is no credible evidence against me.”
He added: “I have spoken with the KC at length, on the phone and through message. I’ve got to know her over the last week, and she has been very helpful, and is a charming lady who is trying to do her job in the very difficult position that Reform has put her in.”
‘You have to stand up to bullies’
He accused the party of an “outright lie” in claiming he had not co-operated with the investigation, a claim Reform made in a statement on Friday evening.
“I have been in discussions with my legal team this afternoon, and this will be followed by legal action in due course,” Lowe told the BBC.
“I will not have my name dragged through the mud as part of a political assassination because I dared to question Nigel Farage. You have to stand up to bullies, and I am doing exactly that.”
He said the lawyer had told him on Friday night: “I advised that you should simply say that the party was precipitous to state that these allegations had been made without also saying that the party has commissioned an independent investigation and the investigation has not yet got underway to look at all the evidence and evaluate its veracity.”
Reform spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe said the row was “temporarily damaging” to the party – but “not damaging in the long term”.
Widdecombe told BBC Radio 4’s Westminster Hour: “The fact is all parties have these eruptions from time to time.
“But while the investigations are under way I think we should simply wait until they report, and then we will know where we are.”
US President Donald Trump has refused to say whether the US economy is facing a recession or price rises in the wake of his administration’s flip-flopping on tariff threats against some of its closest trading partners.
Asked if he was expecting a recession this year, Trump said there was a “period of transition” taking place.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, however, insisted there would be no contraction in the world’s largest economy, while acknowledging that the price of some goods may rise.
It comes after a volatile week for US financial markets as investors grappled with uncertainty from his administration’s U-turn on some key parts of its aggressive trade policies.
New tit-for-tat tariffs from China, which target some US farm products, came into effect on Monday.
Speaking to Fox News in an interview broadcast on Sunday but recorded on Thursday, Trump responded to a question about a recession: “I hate to predict things like that. There is a period of transition because what we’re doing is very big. We’re bringing wealth back to America. That’s a big thing.”
“It takes a little time, but I think it should be great for us,” Trump added.
Last week, the US imposed new 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada but then exempted many of those goods just two days later.
Trump also doubled a blanket tariff on goods from China to 20%. In response, Beijing announced retaliatory taxes on some imports of agricultural goods from the US.
He has accused China, Mexico and Canada of not doing enough to end the flow of illegal drugs and migrants into the US. The three countries have rejected the accusations.
Stocks on Wall Street have fallen since Trump sparked a trade war with the US’s top trading partners.
Investors fear tariffs will lead to higher prices and ultimately dent growth in the world’s largest economy.
Speaking on NBC on Sunday, Lutnick said: “Foreign goods may get a little more expensive. But American goods are going to get cheaper”.
But when asked whether the US economy could face a recession Lutnick added: “Absolutely not… There’s going to be no recession in America.”
Former US Commerce Department official, Frank Lavin, told the BBC that he thinks the trade war is unlikely to escalate out of control.
Tariffs will eventually “fade a bit” but still be an “extra burden on the US economy,” he said.
Syria’s leader Ahmed Sharaa has called for peace after days of clashes where Syrian security forces allegedly killed hundreds of civilians from the Alawite religious minority.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) – which monitors fighting in Syria – said about 745 civilians were killed in 30 “massacres” targeting Alawites on the west coast on Friday and Saturday.
The BBC has not been able to independently verify the death toll of the escalating violence, believed to be the worst since the fall of the Assad regime.
President Sharaa said: “We must preserve national unity and civil peace as much as possible and… we will be able to live together in this country.”
The number of fighters killed in the past four days brings the total death toll to more than 1,000 people, says the Syrian Observatory. This included about 125 fighters linked to the new Islamist-led government and 148 pro-Assad fighters.
Reuters news agency reported sources in the new Syrian government saying at least 200 of the fighters had been killed.
Speaking from a mosque in Damascus on Sunday, the interim president said “what is currently happening in Syria is within the expected challenges”.
He did not comment directly on accusations that atrocities were being committed by his supporters in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus.
On Sunday, Syrian media reported that fighting between government forces and Assad loyalists had also broken at a gas power plant in Banias, a city about halfway between Latakia and Tartus.
The violence of recent days has been sparked after ambushes on government forces on Thursday. A Syrian defence ministry spokesman described it to the Sana state news agency as “treacherous attacks” against security personnel.
It has since escalated into a wave of clashes between Assad loyalists and government forces.
Amid the fighting, hundreds of civilians living along the Mediterranean coast have fled their homes. The provinces of Latakia and Tartus were former heartlands of deposed president Bashar al-Assad, who also belongs to the Alawite minority.
Alawites, whose sect is an offshoot of Shia Islam, make up around 10% of Syria’s population, which is majority Sunni Muslim.
The violence has left the Alawite community in “a state of horror”, an activist in Latakia told the BBC on Friday.
Large crowds sought refuge at a Russian military base at Hmeimim in Latakia, according to the Reuters news agency.
Video footage shared by Reuters showed dozens of people chanting “people want Russian protection” outside the base.
Meanwhile, local media reported dozens of families had also fled to neighbouring Lebanon.
The UN’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said he was “deeply alarmed” by “very troubling reports of civilian casualties” in Syria’s coastal areas.
He called on all sides to refrain from actions which could “destabilise” the country and jeopardise a “credible and inclusive political transition”.
Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, described the killings of Alawites in Latakia and Tartous as “systematic” and “extremely dangerous”, and accused Syria’s interim government of failing to control the crisis.
“It was expected that after the fall of the Assad government, Syria would face a difficult transition,” Amani said. “But the scale of violence now unfolding is unprecedented and deeply troubling.”
Iran’s government was aligned with Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, which was toppled last December. Assad was ousted after decades of repressive and brutal rule by his family and a devastating 14-year-long civil war.
At least 13 people have died in floods in the Argentine port city of Bahía Blanca, following torrential rains.
Eight hours of non-stop rainfall destroyed roads and bridges on Friday, flooding buildings and leaving large parts of the city without electricity.
More than 1,100 people had to leave their homes and newborn babies were evacuated from a hospital.
On Saturday city officials warned that the death toll could rise. The provincial government said it was sending helicopters and ambulances as well as food and water, while the coast guard was helping in the rescue effort.
Authorities said more than 400mm (15.7 inches) of rain had fallen on Bahía Blanca on Friday. The city normally receives about 600-650mm of rain a year.
Images shared on social media showed cars being carried off by raging flood waters.
Bahía Blanca, a city with a population of over 330,000, is a major port in the south-western part of Buenos Aires province.
Provincial government minister Carlos Bianco told local radio: “We have to rebuild a city. There are people who lost everything.”
The Observer reflects on the fallout from the Covid pandemic, as the UK marks five years since the pandemic started with a day of reflection on Sunday. The paper has carried out its own analysis which it says shows Britain performed worse than most other developed nations in its response to the pandemic. The UK spent more money than most other countries on economic help yet saw larger drops in life expectancy and more people too sick to work, the paper says.
For a second day, the Telegraph leads with its investigation into the man who ran a Russian spy ring in Britain, Jan Marsalek. The paper says fugitive Marsalek – who faces no charges in the UK – wanted to create a private army to control migration into Europe. Elsewhere, Reform UK’s Nigel Farage has written in the paper warning against infighting within the party, and defending his decision to suspend one of its five MPs. The Telegraph front page also pictures James Bond star Pierce Brosnan who tells the paper the next 007 should not be an American.
The Sunday Mirror looks ahead to a vote in the Commons this week, on Labour’s plans to ban persistent anti-social behaviour offenders from town centres. The government wants to bring in new “Respect Orders” which Home Secretary Yvette Cooper hopes will restore trust in the police, the paper reports.
The Mail on Sunday reports on the case of a Palestinian asylum seeker who crossed the Channel this week and was picked up by the UK Border Force. The paper says he is is a “militant” who has shared videos on his social media calling for Jewish people to be killed.
The Sunday Express’s front page is also on asylum seekers – but it focuses on the cost of support schemes offered in the UK. It has carried out its own investigation which finds the government and local councils spent a total of £6.6bn over the past five years on schemes for refugees, which sometimes include trips to the zoo, tennis lessons and sandwich deliveries.
The Daily Star reports that Britons are “going goggle-eyed for telescopes”. They’re buying more than ever before because of the soaring interest in space, the paper says.
The Sunday People reports on figures showing 40 women have been fired from prison jobs in the last four years for having sex with inmates. The figures come just days after 26-year-old Katie Evans – who is pictured on the front page next to the headline – was jailed for having a relationship with a male inmate at HMP Doncaster. Also pictured on the front page is actress Blake Lively, who attended a film premiere this weekend.
According to a Sunday Times investigation, defence firms supplying weapons to the British military are being “attacked and sabotaged” by pro-Palestinian activists. It says the group Palestine Action has claimed responsibility for more than 350 “direct actions” since 2020 – including damage to banks, estate agencies, universities and local government buildings. This weekend the group vandalised one of Trump’s Scottish golf courses, the paper says. The group tells the Times that the goal of its direct actions is to “rid Britain of Israeli weapons factories”.
And the Sun reports that Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher is facing a new legal battle with the mother of his child, over child support payments. It says a claim has been lodged in New York, and follows a previous settled legal claim.
The Sunday Telegraph welcomes moves by the government to make it easier to dismiss civil servants if they are not performing well.
The paper’s opinion column points out that the civil service’s headcount has been allowed to swell “beyond reason”.
The Telegraph thinks ministers should possess the same powers over their departments as chief executives have over their companies – “dismissing the incompetent and ensuring that their orders are carried out”.
The lead in the Sunday Times is: “Pro-Palestine activists target defence firms.” It suggests that members of the group Palestine Action have carried out attacks on what it describes as the UK’s “most strategically important defence contractors” including BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin.
It states that activists have ram-raided factories, cut internet cables and smashed up workshops and offices. Palestine Action is quoted saying: “The primary goal of our campaign is to rid Britain of Israeli weapons factories.”
“Britons among hardest hit by Covid five years on” is the headline for the Observer.
It explains that – as events are held to mark the anniversary of the start of the pandemic – there is evidence that the UK is struggling more than other nations to recover.
The paper has analysed international data, and concludes that Britain is facing “larger drops in life expectancy, more people too sick to work, huge levels of homelessness and soaring mental health problems among young people”.
Reuters
Bond actor Daniel Craig at the world premiere of Spectre in 2015
There is anger on the front of the Sunday Express about the reported £6.6bn cost of asylum seeker and refugee support schemes in the UK.
The paper is horrified that some of the money has apparently been spent on activities including trips to the zoo, tennis lessons and even a visit to the Emirates football stadium in London.
The Home Office is quoted saying it has introduced “new controls” to minimise unnecessary spending.
The Sunday Mirror leads on plans by ministers to crack down on “thugs who terrorise communities”.
It says Labour’s “war on yobs” will involve a new law to be voted on by MPs this week.
This could give police, councils and other public bodies the power to ban persistent offenders from areas where they have “caused misery”.
Breaching an order could result in up to two years in jail. The paper’s leader calls it “the first step towards safe and secure neighbourhoods in which everyone can thrive”.
“Sex cells” is the headline for the Sunday People – with the cells in question being in jails. It reports that the number of female prison staff who have been sacked for having sex with inmates has “trebled in recent years”.
According to the paper, government figures indicate that forty women have been fired in such cases in the past four years.
And finally, the Mail on Sunday tries to quell fears which it says have been expressed by James Bond fans, about what Amazon’s takeover of the 007 franchise could mean for its central character. It says a source at the American company has confirmed that “certain things” are “sacrosanct”. We are told that the next Bond will be a man, and will be “British or from the Commonwealth”.
Djokovic was bidding to create more history with a standalone record sixth men’s title in Indian Wells.
But, having been given a first-round bye, he fell in his opening match after producing a string of ugly mistakes.
In a performance well below his high standards, Djokovic made 37 unforced errors and only hit 16 winners to mitigate the damage.
“Congratulations to my opponent. It was just a bad day in the office, I guess,” said Djokovic, who has not gone beyond the third round in his past four Indian Wells appearances.
After losing to Italy’s Luca Naldi last year, it was the former world number one’s second successive exit at the hands of a lucky loser.
Djokovic’s return of serve – one of the hallmarks of his unparalleled success – was particularly poor against Van de Zandschulp, who swamped the Serb’s second serve to convert five of eight break point opportunities.
Having recovered from a poor start, it looked as if Djokovic had settled down as he quickly levelled the match.
But more mistakes, which he described as “awful”, allowed Van de Zandschulp to take control of the decider.
Even the return of Britain’s Andy Murray to his coaching team could not prevent a below-par performance.
The pair, who are planning to head together to the Miami Open which follows Indian Wells, will be hoping Djokovic’s problems are not deep-rooted.
Time is clearly catching up with Djokovic, who turns 38 in May, but his performances in Melbourne showed he can still beat most opponents if he is fully fit and motivated.
Under-performing civil servants could be incentivised to leave their jobs under new government plans, while top staff will have their pay linked to their performance.
Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden said they will “fundamentally reshape” the service as its state is currently not “match-fit” for what the country needs.
The plans are part of wider reforms expected to be set out next week and will go alongside what officials call the prime minister’s “intervention” on Thursday.
A union has accused the government of delivering a “soundbite, not a credible plan for change”, describing the plans as a “retreading of failed narratives”.
In a system designed to give employers the tools to deal with bad performance, McFadden, who will appear on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show, is expected to promise a new “mutually agreed exits” process, that will incentivise civil servants performing below their requirements to leave their jobs.
Meanwhile, under-performing senior civil servants will be put on development plans, with the possibility of being sacked if there is no improvement within six months.
McFadden is also expected to say that the most senior officials will have their pay linked to performance outcomes.
“The state is not match-fit to rise to the moment our country faces,” he explained, adding the government’s “plan for the civil service is one where every official is high performing and focused on delivery”.
“To do this we must ensure that we go further to ensure those brilliant people who can deliver are incentivised and rewarded, and those who can’t are able to move on.
“The changes announced today will result in a more focused and productive civil service and more efficient delivery of the change working people need.”
After a bumpy start in government for Labour, ministers clearly believe the civil service needs to be not just leaner, but more agile.
With the party still struggling in the polls, McFadden has recognised too many people do not believe the system works for them, so he wants to redirect resources from the backrooms to frontline services.
He said he will not use what he calls “crude headcount targets” as a means of measuring civil service efficiency – but does point out staff numbers have risen by 15,000 in two years.
McFadden is also expected to pledge to make more public services digitised and employ more staff in relevant roles.
But Dave Penman, general secretary of the civil servants union FDA, said: “If the government is serious about transforming public services they must set out what the substance of reform looks like, not just the retreading of failed ideas and narratives.”
He added meaningful reform “must put substance before headlines”, and that if McFadden wanted civil servants to focus on delivery – while government departments simultaneously cut resources – “ministers need to set realistic priorities”.
“[The] government should get on with the difficult job of setting those priorities rather than announcing a new performance management process for civil servants every other month,” Mr Penman explained.
